SomeSongsfortheFourthofJuly!(And some pertinent quotes from American history.)

"It was the Lord who put into my mind (I could feel His
hand upon me) the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies.
There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit because he comforted me
with rays of marvelous illumination from the Holy Scriptures"
(Christopher Columbus, Book of Prophecies)

From Columbus private journal, his reasons for undertaking his voyage:
To " bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to the heathens" and to "bring the Word of God to unknown
coastlands."

"Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good
foundations, or at least making some ways toward it, for the propagation and
advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the
world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so
great a work."
(1647, William Bradford, leader of the Pilgrims, writing in
his history of the colony-- "Of Plymouth Plantation")

In June of 1787 the Constitutional Convention was deeply divided in a bitter debate
over how much individual freedom was to be permitted to the states under the new
government. No progress had been made for some time, and none seemed to be in sight.
Then Ben Franklin made a speech, which he concluded with these comments:

Here is Psalm 107 done into metre(Note: verses 21-31 only) by John Quincy Adams and set to Dwight Armstrong's tune for
"Unless the Lord Shall Build the House."

1811, John Quincy Adams, in a letter to his son:

"It is essential, my son, in order that you may go through life with comfort to
yourself, and usefulness to your fellow creatures, that you should form and adopt certain
rules or principles, for the government of your own conduct and temper...
It is in the Bible, you must learn them, and from the Bible
how to practice them. Those duties are to God, to your fellow creatures, and to yourself.
'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as yourself.' ...
Let us, then, search the scriptures."

(off site)(will open a new copy of your browser)
This site has the best MIDI version of the music we've found on the net.

Here's another song by Francis Scott Key that seems appropriate for July Fourth.
The title is: Before
The Lord We Bow
(also off site)(will open a new copy of your browser)

James Madison, (4th president and known as the "chief architect" of the
constitution)
"We have staked the whole future of American
civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of
all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the
capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to
sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

1835-1840, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French statesman, historian and social philosopher,
toured the United States extensively and then wrote his observations in a book titled
"Democracy in America." Here is a short quote from his observations:

"Religion in America ... must be regarded as the foremost of the political
institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it
facilitates the use of it. Indeed, it is in this same point of view that the inhabitants
of the United States themselves look upon religious belief.
I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in
their religion--for who can search the human heart?-- But I am certain that they hold it
to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not
peculiar to a class of citizens or a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to
every rank of society.

You're A Grand Old Flag
George M. Cohan, @ 1911Cannot initialize a MIDI player for your browser

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of, the land I love,
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true 'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
But should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep you eye on the grand old flag.

"You're a Grand Old Flag" from:Suzie's Castle -- one of our
favorite places for good MIDI music

God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light from above,
From the mountains, to the prairies
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home,God bless America! My Home Sweet Home!

Finally, what would the Forth of July be without some band music!?

TURN YOUR PC SOUND UP ALL THE WAY

open the windows

and march around
in your yard to these!!

Don't worry how it will look.
When your neighbors hear the marches
they'll be out there marching with you!

These are all MIDI files, but they are well done.

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El Capitan

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The Liberty Bell

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Semper Fidelis

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Washington Post

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The Stars and Stripes Forever